A Christmas Love Story | ✔️

chapter 24

Derek

I open the front door and see my mother standing at the front door with the most angered look on her face.

"Why the hell did it take so long for you to open the door?!" She yells as she pushes past me into the apartment.

"Ma, what are you doing here? Don't you have other things to do?" I ask her as I shut the door behind.

"Is that how you speak to your mother?" She glares at me.

"No, it's how I talk to the crazy woman who's just barged into my home," I say.

"Where's Meredith, I need to work on the nursery," she says.

"No, you're not, ma. Meredith and I are doing that, this is our baby not yours, you had five children of your own for this, let Meredith have this for her first child, she won't have another first," I tell her.

"This is my grandson Derek," she says sternly.

"I don't care if this is your grandchild, it doesn't matter because this is mine and Meredith child, you can't keep acting like this is your child,"

"But it is,"

"No it's not!" I raise my voice.

"You have no place or right in this child's life, this is our baby, our child, our blood, if you want to do something you have to run it by Meredith and I first you can't just do whatever you want, you haven't earned the right for that, you don't have the right for that... you have to leave," I tell her.

"Derek, I am not leaving, my grandson will be born in a couple of months and I will be there before, after and as it happens," she says.

"No you will not. There are only going to be two people in that delivery room and that is Meredith and Me, not you, Meredith doesn't want you there she's not comfortable with you there," I say.

"I've done nothing but help her with this baby-"

"Meredith doesn't want your help, she never asked for it, she wants to do this part on her own, she wants to be pregnant on her own. You are ruining this experience for her, this is her first pregnancy and you are ruining it for her, you're making her feel like this isn't her baby, you're making her regret ever getting pregnant because she is so miserable, this is supposed to be one of the happiest few months of her life and you're making it horrible for her so stop it. We don't want your help and we don't need it, just stay out of this baby's life until we say otherwise," I say.

The least I would expect from her is a little bit of emotion or guilt or sadness, but she only looks angry.

"You're going to regret this one day, you both are," she says.

"I don't care," I say.

"I don't know what I've done to raise a son like you, you and Meredith should both be ashamed of yourselves," she says before she walks past me and leaves the apartment.

I lock the door behind her and take a deep breath. I've never yelled at her like that before but everything I said was true and I don't regret it.

I go into the bedroom and see Meredith sitting under the covers. Her hair is still wet from the shower and her eyes are red and puffy. Her eyes shine from tears.

I walk over the the bed and sit down next to her.

"She's gone," I tell her softly.

"I know, I heard her slam the door on her way out," she says.

"I'm sorry you had to hear all of that," I say. I place my hand on here and gently kiss her head.

"I called my mother and told her about the baby," she says. I look at her a bit shocked.

Meredith and her mother haven't spoken in a bit since her mother lives kind of far away.

"What did she say?" I ask.

"She says she's happy for me if I'm happy about it which I wasn't expecting... she also wants to fly in to come and visit... we talked a bit more about school and how you were, I told her about everything that's been going on with you mother and she said she would have a talk with her when she arrives," she says.

"That would be fun to see," I smile small.

"Yeah, I guess," she frowns looking into her lap.

"Meredith you don't have to worry anymore, you can decorate the nursery how you want it now, you don't have to worry about my mother anymore," I say, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her into my chest.

"I know but now I feel guilty for making her upset," she cries.

"Mer, you don't have to feel guilty for anything, this is your baby you can do things however you want and you shouldn't feel guilty for it,"

"And now she's mad at you, I don't want her to hate you," she sobs into my chest.

"She'll get over it," I whisper into her hair as I rub her back.

"You don't have to feel bad for making her feel bad, she wasn't doing any of that because she wanted to she was doing it because she knew you would be upset about it and that's what she wanted out of it, she doesn't actually care about the nursery, even if she doesn't know it herself,"

"Can I take nap and we can deal with everything later?" She sniffles as she pulls away and wipes her eyes.

"Yeah, you can take a nap," I tuck her hand behind her ear.

She ties her hair back before she lies down with her back facing towards me.

I lay down next to her, pulling her into into my chest.

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